IMPORTANT: FINAL NOTICE
I and other members of the staff have repeatedly called for on-topic, courteous discussion, yet there are some among us who seem to have somehow
repeatedly missed the point.
As I mentioned in
the very first post in this thread, skeptical inquiry and
respectful disagreement are quite welcome.
No one is required to believe or agree with anything Sgt. Stone has to say. Anyone who wants to ask him tough, relevant questions should not hesitate
to do so.
However, Sgt. Stone is a member of ATS, and as such is entitled to the same courtesy and respect due all members of our community.
As always, off-topic comments, personal insults or other forms of abuse or disruption are not welcome on ATS and will be dealt with accordingly.
In an effort to get this thread back on topic and thwart the obvious and deliberate efforts of some members to derail the discussion, I have applied
post bans to some accounts, removed some posts, and will do so as necessary going forward.
These actions are not intended to be punitive, but when words fail, action must be taken. Courtesy and cooperation with the staff are minimum
requirements for participation on ATS.
I do not intend to make any more requests for them in this thread, and suggest to my fellow moderators that they likewise apply post bans as necessary
and refer offending members to me, because anyone who hasn't gotten the point by now,
won't. :shk:
For Those Who Have Been Post-Banned Or Are Post-Banned Going Forward
Please review the following threads:
If You Have Been Post Banned...
Civility and Decorum are Required
Please Stay On Topic
AboveTopSecret.com Terms And Conditions Of Use
Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to review these references because your posting privileges will not be restored until a minimum of three
days has passed and you have given me your assurance that you have read, understand and agree to honor the
terms & conditions.
It is disappointing that post bans have proven necessary, but anyone who thinks disrupting topical discussion is appropriate behavior has no business
posting on ATS.
Meanwhile, Back At The Topic...
For those who have not been post-banned and wish to discuss issues with Sgt. Stone, please accept my apology for this unpleasant but necessary
interjection.
If you are willing to express your opinions -- whatever they might be -- in accordance with
our standards for discussion, please don't hesitate to do so with my sincere
encouragement and very best regards.
NOTE: For anyone who may have missed it, and some apparently did, I strongly recommend reading
this post by the Chief Operating Officer of The Above Network, LLC. If you
are puzzled as to why I am taking such unusual measures to keep off-topic disruption from shutting down this thread, that should help clarify things
somewhat.
ALSO: PLEASE READ THE THREAD BEFORE POSTING and DO NOT BADGER SGT STONE FOR ANSWERS. As with any ATS member, he is under no obligation to post
anything and may answer what he chooses in the manner he chooses as his time and interests determine.
I do not recommend testing the patience of the staff on these matters.
[edit on 6/3/2008 by Majic]